Have a laugh with the Victor Meldrew of sport…OM Martin Johnson

Martin has covered sporting events all over the world, from Formula One in Kuala Lumpur, cricket and tennis in Australia, and even boozing in Cairo.

Sounds like a nice job? You must be joking. Get the true story from Martin Johnson – sports journalism’s equivalent of Victor Meldrew.

CAN I CARRY YOUR BAGS?The Life of a Sports Hack Abroad is an irreverent, witty memoir from one of the most renowned sports journalists in the business.

Ever tried to get a phone call out of Nagpur? Made contact with the office from Norfolk Island? Trudged several miles up a Japanese mountain to watch Britain’s Number 1 female skier… plough straight through the first gate?

Attempted to write a semi-coherent report after a night out with Ian Botham? Nearly frozen to death at a cricket match in New Zealand? Been hi-jacked in Moscow by a drunken Russian.

It’s hell out there, says Johnson, who makes out his case for a life of hardship, deprivation and a breathless dedication to duty in the face of overwhelming odds. Frankly, however, we still think it reads more like the life of Riley.

Martin was born in Monmouthshire in 1949 and has been a sports journalist for nearly 25 years. He was Cricket Correspondent at the Independent for 10 years; Sports Writer at the Daily Telegraph for nine years, and is currently Sports Writer at The Sunday Times.